Folding, shippable, strong, inexpensive foundation for a mattress

ABSTRACT

A novel form of mattress foundation a part of bedding system having a capability for folding and portability with light weight and higher strength material where the mattress foundation comprising of metal structure made up of wire in square shape to provide a smooth surface and is cut into a head section and foot section hinged from middle to provide folding and unfolding possibility. The top outer ring of square tube is 14 legs that make up 6 pivoting circular pipes that when unfolded give the foundation the correct height and strength to act just like a normal foundation/box spring sleep system.

BACKGROUND Field of the Invention

This invention relates generally to bedroom furniture and, more particularly, to a. mattress support which eliminates the need for a conventional box springs. The invention, substitutable for conventional mattress foundation, which will provide further convenience, cost beneficial, more comfort, and satisfaction for the user.

Description of the Related Art

Once a person has purchased a great memory foam mattress, a good foundation for it placement is needed. Placing a mattress simply on the floor can result in dirtiness and will likely result in it moving around, which will lead to more wear and tear. In some cases, putting a mattress on the floor can even void a warranty

The mattress foundation helps to keep the structure of the mattress intact. It will prevent sagging, reduce damage, and result in better comfort and a longer-lasting product. Some foundations can simply help raise a mattress up to the desired height next to a headboard, and some have storage space underneath too.

Some of the prior art found in this field of work includes U.S. Pat. No. 7,043,781 issued to Madison Jeffery B exhibit a foundation for supporting a mattress is the subject of this invention. The foundation includes first and second side boards which present a mattress supporting surface and are adapted to be coupled with a head board and a foot board, A plurality of tenon and yoke assemblies are coupled with the side boards in spaced apart relationship along the length of the side boards; the assemblies on one side board being aligned with those on the other side board. A plurality of stretcher boards are adapted to be received by the tenon and yoke assemblies and include slots to accommodate relative movement between the stretcher boards and the side boards. Nut and bolt assemblies are provided for holding the stretcher boards rigid relative to the tenon and yoke assemblies. A single stretcher board can accommodate two or more different sizes of mattresses. Optional drawers may be provided in the side boards to occupy the space which would be consumed by a box springs in a conventional mattress construction. The foundation according to the invention can be shipped in a compact, unassembled form which saves shipping expense as well as warehousing space.

According to the another invention having U.S. Pat. No. 5,815,865 issued to Sleep Options Inc, is a plurality of mattress structure components are arranged for selective assembly to provide a customized mattress structure at the point of sale to accommodate the musculoskeletal condition and interface pressure preference of the user. The mattress structure components include a perimetrical frame having a central opening and a plurality of cores which are provided in a variety of firmness and support characteristics such that various combinations of firmness and support can be selectively provided. The frame is preferably made from a relatively firm foam rubber such as a high resiliency, high density urethane foam and the plurality of cores includes air bladders, “zone foam” elements, “sculptured foam” shaped from foam blocks, and combinations thereof for filling the central opening of the perimetral frame. The mattress is also suitable for use with an articulating deck having longitudinally spaced head, seat, thighs and foot sections.

A mattress foundation having U.S. Pat. No. 5,210,890 issued to Tualatin Sleep Products, includes upper and lower frame sections which are resiliently interconnected and supported by a combination of springs and foam. In different embodiments, the springs comprise coil springs, torsion springs, torsion spring modules or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the foam comprises an elongate piece of foam which extends peripherally around the foundation and envelops or encases the springs. The foam is slotted in a pattern to receive portions of the springs. Alternatively, the foam comprises discrete foam blocks spaced around the periphery of the foundation and between select pairs of adjacent springs.

A mattress and foundation bedding system having U.S. Pat. No. 4,970,743 issued to Wride Larry N, Richard Hemsley having a knock-down capability for ease of assembly and disassembly, and for shipment and storage. The foundation has a core of honeycomb cells enclosed in an outer box and dressed with ticking material to resemble conventional bedding. The mattress has interlocking foam sidewal rails suitably reinforced to maintain its shape. The sidewall rails define a central cavity into which a sleep support system may be placed. The sleep support system may be fluid filled, or foam, or a conventional spring set, or other suitable supporting medium and is enclosed in a liner. The entire mattress is enclosed in a removable ticking enclosure.

All of the box springs known in the prior art are made from spring steel which is an increasingly costly material and heavy in terms of portability as well. Particularly in view of the fact that box springs are largely non-functional when used with modern mattresses, this creates a cost component which unnecessarily escalates the expense of a complete bed assembly. On the other hand, wooden slat foundations are very rigid and are usually very sturdy.

Yet another disadvantage of prior mattress foundations arises from the usual construction at the periphery of the box spring. Foundations utilizing springs to support the periphery may appear too springy or soft when a user sits thereupon. Furthermore, conventional box springs typically place only a thin cloth apron around the vertical peripheral surfaces of the foundation, resulting in the sagging and loose wrinkling of the apron when the periphery of the mattress foundation is depressed. Moreover, the thin fabric apron on conventional box springs gives users the impression that the interior of the foundation is hollow and nonsubstantial. This impression undermines the perceived quality of a mattress foundation.

Other mattress foundations are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,662,015 to Galumbeck and U.S. Pat. No. 2,992,443 to Winikoff.

None of the previous inventions and patents, taken either singly or in combination, is seen to describe the instant invention as claimed. Hence, the inventor of the present invention proposes to resolve and surmount existent technical difficulties to eliminate the aforementioned shortcomings of prior art.

SUMMARY

In light of the disadvantages of the prior art, the following summary is provided to facilitate an understanding of some of the innovative features unique to the present invention and is not intended to be a full description. A full appreciation of the various aspects of the invention can be gained by taking the entire specification, claims, drawings, and abstract as a whole.

It is the preferred objective of the present invention to provide a foldable lightweight strong mattress foundation that is UPS and FedEx shippable

It is further the objective of the invention to provide a mattress which is made of high-quality metal structure, powder coated in black

Another object of this invention is to provide a mattress foundation which better distributes loads across the width and length of the foundation, and provides a firmer suspension at the periphery of the foundation.

This Summary is provided merely for purposes of summarizing some example embodiments, so as to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the subject matter described herein. Accordingly, it will be appreciated that the above-described features are merely examples and should not be construed to narrow the scope or spirit of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent from the following Detailed Description, Figures, and Claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying figures, where like reference numerals refer to identical or functionally similar elements throughout the separate views, together with the detailed description below, are incorporated in and form part of the specification, and serve to further illustrate embodiments of concepts that include the claimed invention, and explain various principles and advantages of those embodiments.

FIG. 1 is a elevated view of the foundation of the present invention when it is assembled for shipment and storage

FIG. 2 is a side view of the foundation of the present invention when it is assembled for shipment and storage,

FIG. 3 is a front view of the foundation of the present invention when it is assembled for shipment and storage,

Skilled artisans will appreciate that elements in the figures are illustrated for simplicity and clarity and have not necessarily been drawn to scale. For example, the dimensions of some of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated relative to other elements to help to improve understanding of embodiments of the present invention.

-   The apparatus and method components have been represented where     appropriate by conventional symbols in the drawings, showing only     those specific details that are pertinent to understanding the     embodiments of the present invention so as not to obscure the     disclosure with details that will be readily apparent to those of     ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the description     herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiment are provided herein. It is to be understood, however, that the present invention may be embodied in various forms. Therefore, specific details disclosed herein are not to be interpreted as limiting, but rather as a basis for the claims and as a representative basis for teaching one skilled in the art to employ the present invention in virtually any appropriately detailed system, structure or manner.

Bedding foundations and mattresses are, of course, well known in the prior art. In addition to the conventional types of mattresses and foundations, there have been known in the recent past that fluid support mattresses, commonly known as waterbeds, possess certain benefits and appeal to a large segment of the population.

However, mattresses and foundations of all types are unusually bulky items and require substantial space for storage and, further, exhibit excessive bulk during the shipping process. Such bulk is very cost-intensive from the shipping and warehousing standpoint.

There has been disclosed, in the prior art, means for reducing the bulk and complex nature of such sleep systems by utilizing knock-down features. There has never been a total integrated unitary system including a foundation and mattress combination which could be shipped and stored in a knock-down configuration so as to be transportable through the mail system anywhere in the world, and yet provide a standard size support structure and mattress system of conventional bedding sizes that is easily assembled and disassembled by the ultimate user without tools.

Thus, there exists a need for such a knock-down, integrated system of foundations and mattresses for conventional bedding, waterbeds, air beds and other types of bedding.

The present invention in its preferred embodiment discloses an assembly which is foldable, lightweight, strong mattress foundation that is UPS and FedEx shippable.

In its preferred embodiment, the all-metal structure is powder coated in black. The top is made of wire in a square shape to give it a smooth surface. The square shape wire is welded to the square tube that boards the exterior of the base but is cut into a head section and a foot section. The head and foot sections or hinged together in the middle so the top can fold in half. Coming from the top outer ring of square tube is 14 legs that makeup 6 pivoting circular pipes that when unfolded give the foundation the correct height and strength to act just like a normal foundation/box spring. The tuber metal goes around the outside of all of the pivoting braces giving the platform edge support.

In its additional embodiment when the head and foot section is unfolded the bottom head and foot sections touch and are connected with a wing nut or Velcro strap. The fabric is to cover the fully collapsible metal foundation, the fabric is tied to the metal foundation in the box to stay in the correct place.

In its preferred embodiment once the foundation is opened and the bottom two pieces (head and foot) are attached then the end user simply pulls the fabric down each side of the foundation and the corners will add tension so the appearance now is of a standard foundation or box spring.

While a specific embodiment has been shown and described, many variations are possible. With time, additional features may be employed. The particular shape or configuration of the platform or the interior configuration may be changed to suit the system or equipment with which it is used.

Having described the invention in detail, those skilled in the art will appreciate that modifications may be made to the invention without departing from its spirit. Therefore, it is not intended that the scope of the invention be limited to the specific embodiment illustrated and described. Rather, it is intended that the scope of this invention be determined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

The Abstract of the Disclosure is provided to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. In addition, in the foregoing Detailed Description, it can be seen that various features are grouped together in various embodiments for the purpose of streamlining the disclosure. This method of disclosure is not to be interpreted as reflecting an intention that the claimed embodiments require more features than are expressly recited in each claim. Rather, as the following claims reflect, inventive subject matter lies in less than all features of a single disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separately claimed subject matter. 

1. The present invention is a mattress foundation where: The mattress foundation according to claim I is a foldable and lightweight mattress which can hold conventional or modern types of mattresses
 2. A mattress foundation comprising of metal structure made up of wire in a square shape to provide a smooth surface and is cut into a head section and foot section. 2.1 A mattress foundation according to claim II, where metal structure is coated in black 2.2 A mattress foundation according to claim II, where the square shape wire is welded to the square tube that boards the exterior of the base 2.3 A mattress foundation according to claim II, where the head and foot section are hinged together in the middle so the top can fold in half 2.4 The top outer ring of square tube is 14 legs that make up 6 pivoting circular pipes that when unfolded give the foundation the correct height and strength to act just like a normal foundation/box spring. The tuber metal goes around the outside of all of the pivoting braces giving the platform edge support 2.5 The head and foot section is unfolded and the bottom head and foot sections are connected with a wing nut or Velcro strap. 2.6 The fabric is to cover the fully collapsible metal foundation where the fabric is tied to the metal foundation is the box to stay in the correct place 